Why I Thought the Answer Was 100, and What That Says About Business, Life, and the Future of Intelligence
By Dr. Budsy Davis
I’ve always been a wiz at math.
Numbers were one of my first love languages. I could dance through algebra, tango with calculus, and slice through statistics with a grin.
So when I stumbled on this innocent-looking little puzzle online — posted with bold, baiting words like “No winner yet” — I smiled.
I knew this game. Or so I thought.
Here it was:
👉 A + A = 30
👉 B + B = 20
👉 C + C = 8
👉 A + B × C = ?
Without hesitation, my brain leapt ahead. I scanned the numbers fast, no need to break out pen and paper:
“That’s 100,” I thought. Confidently. Quickly. Casually.
Then I paused.
I asked my trusty AI assistant to confirm. The reply came back:
“The correct answer is 55.”
I blinked. Wait. 55? Not possible. I did the math again in my head. Something wasn’t adding up — or was it?
I sat with it. Then the clarity returned: PEMDAS. The order of operations.
Multiplication first, then addition.
Ohhhh. Right.
Suddenly I wasn’t thinking about the puzzle anymore. I was thinking about why I had gotten it “wrong.”
And why so many of us do — especially in business, leadership, and even AI itself.
What unfolded in that simple moment was a deep reflection on how our brains work, how AI is trained, and why being wise is not the same as being merely “correct.”
This is that story — and the lesson I hope every entrepreneur, visionary, and future-focused thinker takes to heart.
The Fast Brain vs. The Wise Brain
Let’s start here:
My instinctive answer of 100 wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t even wrong — it was human.
Our brains operate with two broad systems:
1️⃣ System 1 — fast, automatic, intuitive thinking
2️⃣ System 2 — slow, deliberate, logical reasoning
System 1 is your evolutionary superpower. It lets you:
👉 Drive without consciously thinking about every motion
👉 Recognize a friend’s face instantly
👉 Detect danger before the tiger leaps
But it also makes mistakes — especially when dealing with artificial structures like formal math puzzles.
Because life rarely slaps PEMDAS in our face.
When I saw A+B×C, my System 1 simply scanned:
A is 15
B is 10
C is 4
Add them all or combine them fast → Boom → 100.
System 2 was snoozing.
Only when I slowed down and deliberately engaged the rule-based System 2 did the correct, formal answer (55) emerge.
The Mandela Effect: Memory, Bias, and False Certainty
Now here’s where it gets even more interesting.
I asked myself: “Is this like the Mandela Effect?”
You probably know this term: the collective phenomenon where large groups of people misremember a fact. Like:
👉 Thinking Nelson Mandela died in prison (he didn’t).
👉 Remembering “Berenstein Bears” (when it was “Berenstain Bears”).
👉 Recalling the Monopoly man having a monocle (he doesn’t).
In this puzzle, I thought: “Maybe my brain — and others — are mis-remembering how we learned order of operations.”
Or we are applying an ingrained, familiar pattern: left-to-right addition from everyday life, not abstract formal math.
It’s not technically the Mandela Effect — but it’s close.
It’s an example of cognitive bias + pattern completion + false confidence.
In fact, this is how most human error works in business:
👉 You see a new market trend → you overlay your past experiences too quickly.
👉 You meet a charismatic person → you trust them too fast.
👉 You read an “AI is taking over” headline → you panic before understanding the nuance.
Just like I thought “100” without re-engaging the deliberate reasoning process.
What AI Gets Right — And What It Gets Wrong
Now here’s the part that really made me smile:
When I asked my AI assistant to solve the puzzle, it replied instantly with 55 — correct.
But is that because AI is smarter than me?
Not at all.
It’s because modern large language models like GPT are trained on patterns of text — and PEMDAS is a highly reinforced pattern in educational content.
In other words: the AI is not “thinking” in a wise, grounded way.
It’s pattern-matching the likely correct answer based on training data.
Now here’s the rub:
👉 If the AI had been trained primarily on internet memes and casual human speech, it might have reinforced the “100” answer instead.
👉 If the AI had been trained on formal math and education material, it strongly biases toward PEMDAS → 55.
In this case, it got it “right” — but that is no guarantee of wisdom.
Wisdom requires knowing when a rule applies, when it doesn’t, and when context matters more than pattern.
Why This Matters for Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Here’s where the deeper leadership insight lands.
How many times have you:
👉 Followed a “hot trend” in the market without checking the deeper dynamics?
👉 Believed the first “easy” story that fit your worldview?
👉 Made a quick decision that later cost you because you didn’t slow down to apply the right framework?
It happens constantly.
This puzzle is a perfect metaphor:
👉 Many entrepreneurs “add things up” fast — thinking big numbers equal big results (like my 100 instinct).
👉 But if the underlying operations aren’t ordered correctly — your whole business math will be wrong.
You can spend millions in marketing… but if your conversion flow is broken (the equivalent of missing PEMDAS), it’s wasted.
You can hire 10 salespeople… but if your messaging and positioning aren’t dialed in, no amount of adding will fix it.
Order matters. Sequence matters. Timing matters.
Why AI Will Not Replace Human Wisdom (Yet)
Another key takeaway:
When the AI got the answer “right,” it reminded me: correctness is not the same as wisdom.
AI can process formal rules faster than any human.
It can pattern-match mountains of data beyond any one mind.
But what it lacks — and where human intelligence still shines — is:
👉 Contextual judgment
👉 Knowing when a rule applies — and when to override it
👉 Emotional intelligence
👉 Narrative coherence
👉 Intuition
In other words: AI can tell you 55 — but only a wise human knows whether “55” is meaningful in the broader story.
And this is why, as I keep telling my peers and clients in Bigado Networks and Dr. Budsy’s universe:
👉 AI should be your co-pilot — not your captain.
👉 AI can automate thought — but only YOU can bring wisdom.
👉 AI should enhance your System 2 — not replace your System 1 intuition.
In fact, I’d argue that the leaders of the future will be those who master the dance between:
👉 Intuitive fast insight (System 1)
👉 Deliberate slow reasoning (System 2)
👉 AI-augmented pattern analysis
If you lean too far into any one of those alone — you lose.
A Simple Practice: Slow Down for Wisdom
So here’s the actionable takeaway I’ve adopted from this experience:
👉 When something feels instantly “obvious” — pause.
👉 Ask: Am I applying the right order of operations here?
👉 Double-check: Is this intuition or a formal logic problem?
👉 Use AI tools to augment — but always sanity-check with human wisdom.
Whether it’s:
👉 Deciding which market to enter
👉 Choosing a new partner or vendor
👉 Pricing a product
👉 Crafting an investor pitch
Slow down. Check the math — literal or metaphorical.
Order matters.
Final Thought: Be the Master of the Formula
That silly little math puzzle reminded me of something profound:
👉 I thought “100” because I trusted my first instinct.
👉 AI thought “55” because it trusted its training data.
Neither was wise until the full context was engaged.
Be wiser than both your instinct and your AI.
As we enter an age of AI-saturated business and life, the most powerful leaders will be those who master the formula — not just the numbers.
They will know when to:
👉 Trust intuition
👉 Apply formal logic
👉 Lean on AI tools
👉 Override all of the above based on the deeper reality
And that, my friends, is the real game.
Summary:
👉 Your first instinct isn’t always right — and that’s okay.
👉 The order in which you operate matters more than the raw numbers.
👉 AI can be correct, but wisdom is deeper.
👉 As leaders, mastering the dance between intuition, logic, and AI will define success in this new age.
So the next time you see a math puzzle, a viral trend, or a tempting shortcut — pause.
Ask yourself: “Am I thinking clearly — and in the right order?”
And when in doubt: pour a glass of Dr. Budsy’s Hooch, slow down, and savor the process.
Because in math and life alike, wisdom wins over speed — every time.
#
Would you like me to also generate:
✅ SEO keywords for this post
✅ A suggested blog title + meta description
✅ A few social media captions to promote it
Just say the word, and I’ll continue! 🚀✨